Vanta vs Universal Shavettes

[rudyt]

I got my Strong Leopard here

Thanks for the link. Unfortunately they don't ship to Canada, but due to the magic of eBay, this came up under "More like this":

Straight Edge Barber Razor Folding Shaving Knife Plastic Handle Without Blades | eBay

I'm still on the fence whether I get this or the full-blade Universal.

 

[mjclark]

Thanks for the link. Unfortunately they don't ship to Canada, but due to the magic of eBay, this came up under "More like this":

Straight Edge Barber Razor Folding Shaving Knife Plastic Handle Without Blades | eBay

I'm still on the fence whether I get this or the full-blade Universal.

Great! I find the Universal Lama Intera (ha ha - I just called it that to be pretentious!) to be a sophisticated and gorgeous shaver which is really well balanced too.

That Strong Leopard is cruder and fiercer, and it has those Mad Max Steampunk looks too!

 

[rudyt]

Thanks. I just ordered the Strong Leopard. I think I would have preferred the Universal, but the two places in Italy I found them available wanted about 29€ just for shipping. If you come across a UK vendor that carries the Universal please let me know. UK shipping to Canada is always very reasonable. Cheers!

 

[Slapo]

Thanks. I just ordered the Strong Leopard. I think I would have preferred the Universal, but the two places in Italy I found them available wanted about 29€ just for shipping. If you come across a UK vendor that carries the Universal please let me know. UK shipping to Canada is always very reasonable. Cheers!

These folks have more reasonable shipping rates:
Universal shavette Mezza Lama | www.hairmaker.gr

 

[mjclark]

These folks have more reasonable shipping rates:
Universal shavette Mezza Lama | www.hairmaker.gr

Yes I think I got my Universals from hairmaker.gr

And I shaved with the Universal Lama Intera last night:

Don Donato sure knows how to make a good shavette, and this is SO SO different from the Vanta and the Leopard.
The head has a bit of weight to it and there's minimal blade exposure producing a very comfortable and controlled shaving experience.
What a pleasure!

So Universal = Heavier thicker head + small blade exposure

Vanta = Light thin head + bigger blade exposure

Leopard = Heaviest thickest head + biggest blade exposure.

 

[Slapo]

Yes I think I got my Universals from hairmaker.gr

And I shaved with the Universal Lama Intera last night:
View attachment 808789
Don Donato sure knows how to make a good shavette, and this is SO SO different from the Vanta and the Leopard.
The head has a bit of weight to it and there's minimal blade exposure producing a very comfortable and controlled shaving experience.
What a pleasure!

So Universal = Heavier thicker head + small blade exposure

Vanta = Light thin head + bigger blade exposure

Leopard = Heaviest thickest head + biggest blade exposure.

Good information there, thanks.

Have you had any trouble with the blade the whole blade Universal, either getting it or staying in there? The pins look a little short a rounded quite quickly, which reminds me of the Crown style shavette I have (ivory-like handle). That one is quite quirky to load with even blade exposure and I had to use pliers to close up the top clamp so it would be tight enough.

 

[mjclark]

Good information there, thanks.

Have you had any trouble with the blade the whole blade Universal, either getting it or staying in there? The pins look a little short a rounded quite quickly, which reminds me of the Crown style shavette I have (ivory-like handle). That one is quite quirky to load with even blade exposure and I had to use pliers to close up the top clamp so it would be tight enough.

I've had no problems at all with the full blade Universal.

With the half-blade Universal however, the pins are too widely spaced for the half-DE blade to fit snugly and I have to manually position it once it's between the jaws before the top spine has been clamped on place.

I've never been able to work out why the pins are more widely spaced in the half-blade Universal so perhaps there are some QC issues with the Universal heads.

 

[Slapo]

I've had no problems at all with the full blade Universal.

With the half-blade Universal however, the pins are too widely spaced for the half-DE blade to fit snugly and I have to manually position it once it's between the jaws before the top spine has been clamped on place.

I've never been able to work out why the pins are more widely spaced in the half-blade Universal so perhaps there are some QC issues with the Universal heads.

Cheers.

 

[rudyt]

That Strong Leopard is cruder and fiercer, and it has those Mad Max Steampunk looks too!

I posted an July 31 that I ordered the full-DE blade Strong Leopard shavette, and today, it finally arrived via the slow boat from China.

I probably won't use it for awhile as I'm having too much fun (and frustration) learning to straight shave with my Weck Sextoblade and Hair Shaper.

First impressions are (a) it's pretty badly finished. There was sharp edges on the head castings, but 30 seconds with a file smoothed things out perfectly. (b) the retainer moves very easily, so it might open mid-shave - to be confirmed. (c) the locating pegs are too small, so the blade can move around.

The issues are minor, and overall, I'm happy with what I got for so little money.

 

[rudyt]

So my Vantas arrived and they really are very different animals from the Universals.

I have the full blade, the half-blade with retaining clip and the half-blade with the retainer attached to the head on a pivot

I am considering getting a full-blade Vanta to add to my collection. Any thoughts on the two different blade retaining mechanisms? Do the two different types shave differently? Thanks in advance.

 

[mjclark]

I am considering getting a full-blade Vanta to add to my collection. Any thoughts on the two different blade retaining mechanisms? Do the two different types shave differently? Thanks in advance.

As far as I remember it was only the half-blade Vanta which had the variants of clip or hinge, the full blade version was clip only.
Aesthetically the sliding clip is a lot nicer anyway.

The thing about the Vantas is they are very light and have a much thinner profile than other shavettes.
This means they are extremely nimble and manouverable but (like Bakelite DEs) you’ll need an assertive grip to keep them under control.

 

[rudyt]

As far as I remember it was only the half-blade Vanta which had the variants of clip or hinge, the full blade version was clip only.
Aesthetically the sliding clip is a lot nicer anyway.

The thing about the Vantas is they are very light and have a much thinner profile than other shavettes.
This means they are extremely nimble and manouverable but (like Bakelite DEs) you’ll need an assertive grip to keep them under control.

Thanks. I've never had a shavette that covered the blade tips. Other than shrouding the pointy tips, does the extra metal that covers affect the shave since I've now got non-sharp metal touching my face.

 

[mjclark]

Thanks. I've never had a shavette that covered the blade tips. Other than shrouding the pointy tips, does the extra metal that covers affect the shave since I've now got non-sharp metal touching my face.

I never noticed a difference to the shave with the covered blade tips (the Focus Slim has the same) except that it inspires confidence so maybe makes for a swifter and smoother shave!

 

[Pinto90]

Thanks. I just ordered the Strong Leopard. I think I would have preferred the Universal, but the two places in Italy I found them available wanted about 29€ just for shipping. If you come across a UK vendor that carries the Universal please let me know. UK shipping to Canada is always very reasonable. Cheers!

Is the Strong Leopard the Chinese shavette?
I am waiting for it to arrive.

Among my shavettes I both the full-blade Vanta and the Kiepe Free Style, also the latter full-blade is supposed to be manufactured or distributed by the same company as the Fatip.




Of the two I prefer the lighter and easier to handle Vanta.